Carrion - Review

Carrion - Review

Review for Carrion. Game for Linux, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 23/07/2020

Devolver Digital is known for the often eccentric and irreverent tones of the titles to which you choose to be a publisher and Carrion, video game developed by Phobia Game Studio, has every right to be enclosed among them. The metroidvania created by the Polish studio immediately captured the attention of fans of the genre and has been placed on our list of indies to watch in this 2020.



Carrion managed to amaze everyone with some of its characteristics: from the change of perspective to the pixel art graphics and the citations towards science fiction horror cinema.

Carrion's initial phase opens without explanation; one action of ours is enough and here the creature controlled by us will begin to agitate, until it comes out of the "case" in which it was locked. The game does not provide any information that can clarify why the monster is there, but it is its own actions that give the player some indication of the story. The first contact we have with the creature is at the moment of its release, which will be followed by the first steps and the first kills in the structure.

By starting to move in the first area of ​​the game, you immediately realize how unusual it is to have control of the predator and not the prey, especially if it is a crawling, clingy and able to pass through any hole. This allowed the development team to exploit the mechanics of classic metroidvania and to decline them in a context almost never touched by other video games.



One of the many positive aspects of Carrion is precisely the reversal of perspective, which was expertly handled by Phobia Game Studio. The take control of the monster, an agglomeration of blood and tentacles, definitely devoid of a shape that can define it, is total and is emphasized by the excellent work done from the point of view of the animations. The creature can in fact attach itself to all surfaces and can even remain suspended thanks to the tentacles of which it is composed.

This opens up the possibility of interacting with the surrounding environment and, if in most video games the monster is almost never particularly intelligent, in Carrion the union between the creature's abilities and our intuitions can give moments of absolute satisfaction.

However, it is a satisfaction due above all to the interaction with the environment, which allows access to otherwise inaccessible areas and unlocking new areas, accompanying the "thing" in its bloody search for freedom. If on the one hand it is true that the monster is far superior to the weapons of its enemies, also due to the artificial intelligence that is not always reactive, on the other it must be borne in mind that the structure is nothing short of labyrinthine. The main enemy seems to beIn fact, own the game world, built with care and made truly oppressive, thanks to the dense network of conduits and roads in which we will have to sneak. Each "room" is also full of objects that we will be able to grab and throw at enemies thanks to the prehensile tentacle, an aspect that adds variety to the ways in which we will be able to eliminate enemies and which allows us to interact with levers and handles.


The creature's control system is what might worry you especially early in the game, but it turns out to be incredibly functional and well thought out. The player's control over being creepy is almost total and, especially in the more advanced stages of the title, it is possible to see the care placed in this aspect by the development team. In fact, the developers of Carrion have decided to place glass capsules in some areas of the map which, once broken, allow the creature to obtain new abilities. Each of them is paired with a specific joypad button, but there are limits that prevent you from reaching omnipotence.


The progression system is therefore based on the voracity of the creature and on the search for glass capsules positioned in some specific points of the laboratory. Once you acquire a new skill, however, you will notice how it is linked to the state of the monster. As you progress through the maps, devouring humans, the creature's size grows, allowing you to use offensive abilities. However, it can also be useful to return to a smaller size and it is precisely for this reason that the structure is scattered with water basins, in which we will be able to deposit a part of our biomass. It should be borne in mind that this possibility should not be underestimated, because the enemies - unless you find death before making a rescue - will never be reborn. Depositing part of your biological material is therefore an action that is anything but useless and seems to be encouraged by the same level design of the various levels of the structure, so much so that it becomes almost impossible to progress in the game without ever returning to the smaller stage.


Such is incredibly functional, as your monster will grow by devouring humans, but growth will not ensure it has safe tentacles.. Each bullet will immediately weaken you and you will see your tonnage significantly reduced. This detail is of high importance, as it allows you to rebalance the difference in height between your might and the enemies, who do not shine either for intelligence or for equipment. The fights, however, still manage to entertain and be beautiful to look at, especially thanks to the splendid work done by the development team from the point of view of animations. Both your tentacles and your enemies move smoothly within maps that are certainly not considered large spaces.

What makes Carrion particularly interesting is not only the reversed perspective or the galvanizing kills that you will be able to carry out through the different abilities available, but also the way in which death was conceived.. We have seen, in fact, that the creature shrinks when struck and the death of such a being, considerably higher than humans, is justified by a small detail. The damage suffered does not kill, but causes the separation of many small tentacles, which will abandon the "thing" to flee to the biomass masses in the other points of the structure, where one goes to save the game.


The user experience is then enriched by the presence of a soundtrack which, although present fairly repeated tones, manages to be the ideal setting for the disturbing actions we bring to life on the screen. The minimal music chosen by the developers of Carrion recalls the typical notes of horror films with a sci-fi background, going to better define a title that makes cinematic quotes one of its distinctive elements.

Carrion - Review

Carrion is a game that takes up the classic mechanics of Metroidvania and uses them to give life to dynamics almost never experienced within the genre, demonstrating how the indie market is still a primary source of unique and interesting projects. Phobia Game Studio's game is a title that, if you leave out the lack of variety and the unresponsive artificial intelligence, has all the elements to be considered one of the most interesting independent video games of the entire year.

► Carrion is an Adventure-indie game developed by Phobia Game Studio and published by Devolver Digital for Linux, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 23/07/2020

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